Damascus, Mar 15 (IANS): A total of 25 truckloads of aid started to move towards the rebel-held areas in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the Syrian capital on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

The aid convoy was sent to the rebel-held Douma district in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the UN. It is the third aid convoy to enter Douma since the military operations in Eastern Ghouta started late last month, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last Friday, 13 truckloads of aid entered Douma with 2,400 food parcels and 3,240 bags of wheat flour.

The UN humanitarian agencies sounded alarm about the worsening humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta, where activists said over 1,000 people were killed in the heavy bombardment since a military showdown between rebels and the government forces since late February.

The Syrian Army captured over 62 per cent of Eastern Ghouta in recent days as part of an ongoing wide-scale offensive to dislodge rebels from the key areas on the eastern rim of Damascus.